The Food Gatherer's Note: A pretty special slow roast pork recipe for a big gathering pinched from Jamie Oliver . Halve the quantities for a weekend family roast with leftovers for the week. Cooking time will be about 5 hours for this. Great with a potato or celeriac gratin and steamed greens.
Pork Shoulder from Peatchey Butchers, The Grangeway, Grange Park, London, N21
OVERNIGHT SLOW ROAST PORK
Serves 12
Ingredients:
For the pork:
1 X 5kg higher welfare shoulder of pork , bone in, skin removed and reserved
olive oil
4 onions
2–3 eating apples
3 sticks ofcelery
1 bulb of garlic
1 bunch of fresh sage , (30g)
4 fresh bay leaves
1 X 500 ml bottle of cider
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 whole cloves
2 dried chillies
To Prepare:
Preheat the oven to full whack (240°C/475°F/gas 9). Toss the reserved pork skin in a little oil and sea salt (you can either slice it into long, thin strips or leave as one piece), lay it flat on a tray and roast until perfectly golden and crisp, keeping a close eye on it, then remove.
Peel the onions, then cut into wedges with the apples. Trim and roughly chop the celery and break the garlic bulb into cloves.
Scatter it all in your largest roasting tray with the sage and bay leaves, pour in the cider and add a good splash of water.
Bash the fennel seeds, cloves, dried chillies and 1 heaped teaspoon of salt to a fine dust in a pestle and mortar, then massage all over the pork with a drizzle of oil.
Sit the pork in the tray, cover tightly with a double layer of tin foil, place in the oven and turn the temperature down to 130°C/250°F/gas ½. Roast for 10 to 12 hours, or until the meat pulls easily away from the bone, then remove from the oven and cover with a couple of clean tea towels to keep warm whilst you prepare the veg and side servings. Serve with the crackling you made earlier.
Thanks Jamie Oliver, top recipe! FG :